


Only The Night

by fragilevixen



Series: Echoes and Whispers [2]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Aftermath of a Case, F/M, Humor, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Resolved Sexual Tension, Romance, Undercover as a Couple, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Violence, casefile
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-19 00:27:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18128528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fragilevixen/pseuds/fragilevixen
Summary: Mulder and Scully begin their undercover assignment as an engaged couple with the assistance of Skinner at the University of Maryland to catch a serial rapist, putting their newly formed physical bond to the test in this sequel to “Parallel”.This is a very real place and so are the areas listed – Amtrak did have a line in the 90s that passed through College Park but it was a multi-use area and had more than just Amtrak lines.





	Only The Night

**Author's Note:**

> Almost everyday you fall  
> Upon my waking eyes  
> Inviting and inciting me  
> To rise  
> And through the window in the wall  
> Come streaming in on sunlight wings  
> A million bright ambassadors of morning  
> "Echoes" - Pink Floyd
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: Agent Scully, Agent Mulder, and Assistant Director Skinner belong respectively to Chris Carter, FOX Productions, and TenThirteen Productions. All other characters are original and any likeness or named similarities to any real-life persons are purely coincidental (unless, well, you’ve been told, then you should’ve expected such things and shouldn’t get upset over anything that happens to them, respectively)

_I won’t hide my_

_darkness,_

_and I won’t learn how;_

_love these_

_shadows,_

_or you’ll never love_

_my light._

-Tyler Knott Gregson

 

 

Tuesday, 7:40 PM

University of Maryland

McKeldin Mall

 

           “Lish, are you sure you don’t want one of us to walk you to your car?” Amber Hastings was pulling her backpack on as they left their final class of the day, accompanied by Alisha Farris and Megan Adler as they neared the steps toward McKeldin Mall’s main entrance.

           “Yeah, we don’t know how comfortable we are letting you walk alone after those other women have been attacked out here…it’s just safer to have a group walking around at night,” Megan’s deep brown locks were curled as she held the strap of her backpack until she pulled it into place.

           “You two are sweet but I’ll be fine,” Alisha smiled and stuffed her last book into the overfilled shoulder bag, groaning as she hoisted it across her shoulder. “I need to call Humphrey anyway and he can keep me company until I get to the car.”

           “Are you absolutely certain?” Amber held the door open until they were out in the open air, her golden blond locks shimmering underneath of the glow of the street lamp.

           “Yeah, I promise you both I’m good,” Alisha jiggled the phone at them, smiling as she started to separate from them, going into the opposite direction as the girls.

           “Okay, email us when you get in,” Megan smiled as they started up toward the dormitories and apartments that were just beyond campus on the opposite side. “Be safe!”

           “Bye girls!” Alisha had the phone up to her hear as she started walking toward the fountain at the opposite end of the Mall as it started to ring.

           “Hey, you’re late,” Humphrey’s voice had a low, almost baritone voice that brought a smile to Alisha’s face as she bit down on her lip and held back a laugh.

           Alisha liked the night air flowing through her hair as she tucked a couple of loose tendrils behind her ear, clearing her throat as she passed by the grass on the cement. “I know—class ran a little late tonight but I’m on my way.”

           “Mmmhmmmm…you’re lucky I waited to start dinner a little later knowing you’d be walking in fashionably late as per usual,” Humphrey chuckled in her ear and continued. “You sound winded already.”

           “Are we having your Mom over for dinner tomorrow night or Thursday night?” Alisha Farris had her shoulder bag stuffed to the hilt with massive books to the point that one was pushing the zipper apart, widening the opening to the point that it would’ve fallen if she moved too quickly. “It’s just the fifty pounds of books as usual.”

           “Thursday night but I don’t know why you’re so worried about it—she’s already met you and loved you even when you showed up fifteen minutes late,” Humphrey’s voice was soft in her ear, the mingling of kitchen tools dinging in the background with every word spoken.

           “I don’t want to get stuck in a class late and come waltzing in the door again like ‘hello, future-Mother-in-law, I’m that future-daughter-in-law that never remembers when you’re going to be here, shows up late, and looks like a cat ate her clothes, spit them back out with the holes but I’ll wear them anyway’,” Alisha was on a roll with the diatribe as Humphrey’s laugh was carrying over the top of the majority of the last half of that sentence.

           “Oh, come off it,” He was almost hard to understand as the snorting took over the heavy cackling in her ear, followed by a thud of a pot hitting the top of the stove. “You’re going to make me spill dinner if you’re not careful.”

           “I’m being realistic, it’s not funny,” Alisha could feel her shoelaces dragging down along the side of her shoe, occasionally smacking against her ankle as she high stepped into the grass. “You’re not funny, Humphrey, this is deadly serious.”

           The sun had just dipped over the horizon and the sky had already gone from the purples, reds, and orange hues to the darker tones as the rounded, amber lamps began to light up along the pathway. The little burbling sound of the water from the water fountain was in the distance as she took the steps from the library toward the first set of trees. It was quiet, almost too quiet even as she held the phone to her ear with her fiancé prattling on about his Mother’s visit. Alisha took a deep, audible breath and adjusted her grip on the shoulder bag, nearly toppling over as she held the books with her free hand. Her fingers were failing, the numbness setting in as circulation had been cut off across her arm since she left the math building, a feeling of which had only been slowly increasing with every step.

            “Jesus, you sound like you’ve gone into battle over there,” Humphrey brought her out of the near miss as she felt both ankles buckle and the shoelaces tug underneath of her feet.

           Alisha blew her hair out of her face and aggressively swung the bag backward until it banged against her backside, making one hell of a slapping sound against her jeans. “No, I’m fine I just need both of my hands to carry this monster of a bag…I had to buy two more books today and they are giving me a run for my literal money.”

           “Well, why don’t you hang up the phone and I’ll see you at home in about thirty-five minutes? A glass of wine, a neck rub and some very delicious spaghetti will be waiting for you,” Humphrey muttered a cuss word or two under his breath as another pan unceremoniously thudded against the other. “That is if I don’t burn my entire hand off first.”

           “Try not to set fire to my kitchen,” Alisha let out a laugh and set her bag on the ground, inviting a low groan from her as her back popped in the process. “Love you, see you in a bit.”

           “Love you more, Ali-cat…oh, and tie your fucking shoes,” It was like he knew as he hung up the phone as she was leaning down to do exactly that.

           She pushed the phone into the already overstuffed bag while rolling her eyes before resuming the task of tying her shoes before she took a tumble and broke her neck. “God damn smartass.”

           The beginning of summer session left campus looking more like a wasteland than a bustling, busy campus with thousands attending classes from seven in the morning on through sunset, especially at night. It looked more like one of those parks with closing hours when gates close after the sun dies and the only ones that dared stay wandering paths were gutsy teens with nothing more than a death wish or a need for an adrenaline rush. Alisha didn’t normally linger this long alone and not after the recent things that had popped up all over the news that had left a lot of women switching out of night classes, opting to be in before dark each and every night. Hysteria wasn’t exactly something that the school was advertising but the word of mouth was spreading, making it harder to feel that normal shroud of safety after the moon and stars dotted across the sky to come out to play.

           Alisha couldn’t help but feel like eyes were on her as she gathered the shoulder bag with a breathy heave, steadying it as she stood straight.

           “The fountain really should have lights in it or there should be more of the lamps lit up by now,” Alisha jumped as a gust of wind made one of the tree branches behind her crack just enough to sound more like approaching footsteps. “Got me talking to myself like a crazy person…you’d do it, too…”

           The silence, marred by the wind rustling through the trees, truly was inflicting a new kind of paranoia on her and it was a sensation that she never really allowed herself to experience before. It was suffocating as she felt the weight of her books against her hip, thudding with each labored step she took, reminding her of just how sore she was going to be in the morning and how deep that bruise was going to be. She inhaled another sharp breath and felt pride taking a nosedive in her chest as she gripped the leather at her side as though it were going to sprout legs to run, force her to go after it. The shadows cast by the leaves as they danced between the dim and the light with each little rush of wind did nothing for the growing anxiety as every bad outcome began to play out in her head while her heart pounded so loudly she could feel it all the way into her ears.

           “I’ll be home soon and all of this will look like nothing more than me being silly,” Alisha felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes as the weariness clamped down, wrapping her in a blanket of unbridled fear that she couldn’t quite shake. “Stop talking to yourself. You sound like a fucking crazy person.”

           The irrational unrest had begun as nothing more than a feeling of uneasiness had grown, bloomed into a tactile sense of clothed fingers sweeping her hair from left to right as the dread became real, inescapable. She felt the tightening in her chest as the air failed to fill her lungs, the discomposure accumulating with every second, enfolding her as she flailed, swinging the clunky bag full of books in any direction, hoping to hit whoever was tormenting her. Alisha spun and caught only shadows moving in unison, darting behind her, banking on her phobias, tapping into every mania and nightmare she could ever have harbored as faceless, nameless, quiet figures stalled her forward progress. She had become trapped in an endless loop, searching for figures that were considerably more skilled at this game than she was, wearing on her already thin patience.

           “Leave me alone!” Alisha didn’t know if she were shouting at something tangible or a figment of an overactive imagination as she nearly let go of the bag to run directly for the closest building. “I swear to God…this can’t real! This isn’t real!”

           Alisha wanted to believe the words as she pleaded them in equivalency to the screams, the frenetic energy overcoming her as the air moving past her ears sounded more and more like heavy breathing as time passed, ticking away with each second. She wasn’t alone anymore and the overwrought muscles through her body were already making it difficult to pick up any sort of speed as she pushed forward, her pace varying between panic-stricken and crazed. Her thoughts raced and were already executing every possible inevitability and outcome that could occur as she felt the weakness setting in along her ankles and knees. She was close to a fall and markedly closer to collapse. The split second of regret flooded Alisha’s every thought as she found herself wishing that she had just asked Humphrey to come to get her from class. Her eyes found the branches of the trees, waving goodbye to her in the rising breeze while the light caught the expensive ring on her left hand, sticking out like bait in the water.

           “Mother fu—“ Alisha’s words were immediately cut off by the soaked, soft material of a rag, as it was pushed almost hard enough to shove past her teeth, into her mouth.

            _Don’t inhale._

           Her awareness heightened and reeled as the sweet taste hit first followed by that ether-like chemical smell as it sent every part of her over the edge, past the point of no return. Her fingers raked against the arms around her, the shoulder bag fell into the grass in a heap, nearly toppling Alisha and her assailants in the process, and the fight in her began its tug-of-war with futility that was staying awake as limbs were already becoming heavy. She kicked wildly into the air and watched, in vain, as the distance between her and the lifeline to her fiancé increased exponentially and the sound of the bottoms of her own shoes grated against the pavement. She would’ve given anything to make a sound but the noise came out as nothing more than a series of whimpers and grunts that evaporated into silence as she involuntarily inhaled more of the noxious material invading her throat and nostrils. Alisha was losing the battle as the halos grew around the diminishing sources of light and the cloudiness crept into her field of vision, imposed by the drenched rag in her mouth. The outcome had already been decided for her as control was taken away and replaced by the brutal reality that she was being taken as her remaining shreds of consciousness slipped away like little droplets of rain against a window.

 

   

 

 

Tuesday, 7:40 PM

Near College Park, MD

Amtrak Train – Under 20 minutes from College Park Station

 

           It had been a long time since either of them had needed to utilize a method of transportation other than air or vehicular transportation and neither of them felt one hundred percent comfortable sitting within the confines of a moderately crowded Amtrak train. It was warm, bordering on overly so, and the air had been swapping between moving slowly through the cabin and stagnant since they had left the station, making the heat that much more apparent. Mulder had a sunflower seed perched between his teeth, the tray table down with a little pile adorning the center and a half-full glass of iced tea next to it, with melting ice circling as the train stalled for the second time since they had left DC. Scully’s head was against his arm, delicately folding the paper corner of a book open, reading somewhat feverishly with her own tray down near her feet. Mulder turned his head after flicking the emptied shell into a little bin, the sound of his tongue and air grazing against his bottom lip making Scully let out a gentle grunt as she squeezed his thigh just enough to make him jump.

           It wasn’t a warning, it was a promise.

           “Really?” Mulder kissed the top of her head and reached for another couple of seeds while watching her fingers elegantly slide across the surface of the page.

           Scully nodded as she slipped her thumb underneath of paper, preemptively readying the next turn of the page. “Absolutely…is that a problem?”

           “Certainly not,” Mulder swiped the book from her and tilted her chin up, stealing a little kiss as she reached across his chest for the chase. “Just makes a man hope that this little journey of ours is delayed for another four hours so we can go find a quiet, secluded spot.”

           “Four hours?” Scully’s tongue grazed across his lips and her teeth set against his bottom lip as she pulled herself to a better angle, tugging the book out of his grip. “You’re awfully optimistic with that kind of time slot, Professor.”

           “I know we have work to do but I wouldn’t mind a little time to waste with you before we get started on it,” Mulder had barely gotten a taste of what it would be like to have her in a state of complete vulnerability, in his arms, and all he wanted was more as he kissed a trail from her lips to her earlobe. “It’s not like we have control over how late the train is…why not enjoy it?”

           “We’re really not that far away from the University, I’m sweaty, you’re sweaty, and it’s pretty crowded in here,” Scully could hear the murmur of chatter around her, a baby crying just down the aisle as she reluctantly slid backward, holding the book between her fingers. “We do have some semblance of work to do when we get there even though we have cover to maintain.”

           “Way to dash half of my hopes with a single reminder that this trip isn’t for fun,” Mulder had the sweat glazed smile as he stretched both legs and reached for his iced tea, taking a fair swig as the lights in the distance started to move again. “Is it just me or do they keep turning the air off every time we start stalling?”

           “Only half of them?” Scully grinned in spite of the sweat that had been developing in her cleavage as she sat up a little straighter while the rhythm of the wheels underneath of them began to vibrate in a gentle refrain. “Probably one of the reasons they keep stopping…and starting…rinse…and repeat…”

           “I’m not exactly sure how I feel about a case like this,” Mulder chewed on the inside of his lip, fixating on the ring on Scully’s finger, caution and exhilaration mingling in his subconscious as he placed his hand over the top of hers, giving her the softest, most tender of squeezes as he cleared his throat. “Putting you in danger, knowingly, using you as bait while I go play teacher? After everything that we’ve both been through—I don’t know if I can do it.”

           “Circumstantially speaking, we are two people in a situation that warrants careful attention,” Scully had a knowing smile on her lips, the softest of pink forming on her cheeks as she felt his gaze deepen, intensify with every second. “I trust you…implicitly. That’s all I need to know that every second of this inquest to follow will be met with care.”

           “Attention all passengers, we do apologize again for the series of inconveniences and delays—we are just shy of ten minutes away from the station in College Park, Maryland. We have been notified that all vehicle rentals, bus transfers, and other mass transit are all operating on an extended schedule to accommodate any additional stops that have no connectors. We thank you for choosing to travel with us and making Amtrak your railway mode of travel today,” The train conductor’s baritone voice could’ve put anyone to sleep as it proceeded a lengthy series of chimes on the PA system, a necessary signal that they were all nearly to their destinations.

           “I don’t know if ten minutes is enough for what I had planned,” Mulder had his eyes in an upward direction as he straightened his back before he leaned across the seats, lavishing her neck with another kiss, coaxing a low groan out of her in the process. “Unless you think that’s enough time?”

           Scully’s voice cracked as she crossed her legs toward him, protesting verbally as she squeezed his bicep, doing her best not to attract an audience. “I swear if you leave another hickey on me before I have to start going to classes in the morning…I will sink my teeth into your Adam’s apple and leave marks on you, Professor.”

           “You’re feisty today,” Mulder liked how freeing being able to flirt with her in an open forum actually was as he sucked a sunflower seed into his mouth, cracking it open between his teeth. “That’s my fault, though, right?”

           “Isn’t it usually?” Scully slid her travel bag across the floor and zipped it shut, before adjusting the back of her seat into a more upright position, smirking in his direction. “I think if you had asked me ‘when isn’t it your fault’ might’ve been a more appropriate question.”

           “I’m assuming that we’re not expected to be doing any heavy lifting when we arrive with all things considered so with that in mind I have only one question to ask you,” Mulder reached across to collect her nearly emptied plastic cup, discarding it into the little bin along with his own as she pushed her drop down tray back into its spot. “Chinese or Thai?”

           “Is that really a question? Chinese,” There was a thin layer of sweat along Scully’s forehead from maneuvering their bags around, sitting down just as the sound of the squealing brakes briefly ushered in the stuttering of the cars as they started to come to a stop. “Surprised you even had the choice whirling around in your brain, that’s the standard go-to for both of us.”

           Mulder turned his head, lovingly tucking her hair behind her ear, letting the tips of his fingers linger along her cheek as she lingered next to him in their seats. “Well, maybe the four hours of delays has me a little worn out—or a tad off my game.”

           “At least we don’t have to dig into the real nitty-gritty until tomorrow morning; that was Kersh’s one saving grace, right?” Scully slowly blinked while the other, visibly bothered passengers began to collect their belongings as they enjoyed another moment of being enthralled in each other’s touch as she held her hand over his hand, rubbing her thumb along the curve between his index and thumb. “You could keep doing that all day and I would be content.”

           “As nice as that sounds and as much as I’d love to spend all day rubbing your cheek, we have to get our asses to see a man about an apartment, make sure we look the part, and finish remembering our names since we’ve done none of that on the way here,” Mulder leaned in and kissed her forehead before swatting her on the ass as she stood. “Besides…just think, this time tomorrow you’ll be elbow deep in the start of a new semester of college and taking a 300 level psychology course from yours truly.”

           Playing the part of two people very much in love, engaged to be married, wasn’t exactly a stretch but having to call each other by other names and essentially become other people in public was going to be a little bit of one. The audible, very playful slap to the rear caught the attention of the lagging, slower passengers that were hauling sleepy children, babies, and more luggage than anticipated as Scully gave Mulder a look that could kill as she rubbed the spot on her ass where his had had just been. He smirked and knew that he was in considerable danger of receiving a very tight slap to the face if he wasn’t careful but watched as Scully bit down on her bottom lip, listened to the low groan as she held back her normal response. It had him tickled to watch her struggle with it—regardless of knowing that he was probably going to pay for it later.

           “Fantastic,” Scully rolled her eyes as she gave a considerable tug to the smaller suitcase from the bin above their seats before following him down a set of steps that went toward the luggage carousels that had been freshly removed from underneath of the train’s storage area. “I think you are more interested in being my Professor and that fact alone makes you a nasty pervert.”

           “Just be glad that I can’t utilize a ruler in any sort of corporal punishment sort of way because I think you’re headed straight down pushing several buttons until this is over,” Mulder’s voice carried just enough to make a passerby nearly topple over as he located their remaining baggage from the little carriage area. “So that, in turn, begs the question, my dear, wrist or ass?”

           “Not that you’d have any luck in getting either one of those body parts quite still enough to give them even one good whack, Professor,” Scully hadn’t anticipated just how close they were to the counter until her eyes caught sight of the blond, pretty little agent behind the monitor as she heard more than enough of her retort for both to become instantly embarrassed by the words that flooded out.

           “Um, can…I help you?” Her hands were doing the talking as she sent them flailing, knocking over everything in her path as her sheepish voice came out like a croak, almost refusing to make eye contact with both of them while her face turned a lovely shade of red.

           “We’re here to pick up a vehicle under the name Dr. Everett,” Mulder glanced at Scully as she was pulling an incredibly feminine looking wallet from the bag that had been resting comfortably between her feet, noticing that it definitely came from the ‘courtesy of the FBI’ options that Skinner’s assistant had fawned all over. “Must be a long day for you with this train being delayed?”

           “Oh, um, yeah…my shift should’ve ended at six so this was a little unexpected but I don’t mind putting in a little extra time here and there,” The girl had a nametag with the name ‘Nancy’ in bold letters, fancily glittered by hand awkwardly smiled as she started rapidly typing at her station while she forced herself to make eye contact with Mulder. “I have a four-door sedan ready for you and your fiancée, Professor Everett…I just need to make copies of your identification to go along with your faxed copy of the credit card.”

Mulder gathered the well-constructed, false identification from the wallet that held everything that no longer had his own name on it, sliding it across the counter as he glanced at Scully, displaying a pearly smile as he looked back at Nancy. “There you are…Nancy.”

           “Sorry, mine is misbehaving,” Scully knew that Mulder was embarrassing the poor girl as she yanked the identification free from the plastic slot and placed it next to his, utilizing her left hand as the expensive bobble chosen by the FBI’s finest caught the attention of the already nervous, wide-eyed customer service girl. “Here you go. New wallet is obviously still stiff.”

           “Oh, my Goodness,” Nancy’s voice cracked as she looked at the vintage-inspired, three stone, engraved, one point three carat blue sapphire on Scully’s ring finger with more than enough diamond accents to blind someone. “I am so sorry but…that’s so gorgeous! Well done, Professor.”

           Scully blushed and pulled her hand back, nervously hiding the ring as she had already had four people point it out on the train and Mulder had been playing with it entirely too much, and she still wasn’t accustomed to it but Mulder smiled proudly, nudging her until she talked. “It’s only been a few months and I’m still getting used to it…thank you.”

           “She acts like she wasn’t destined to wear it and is more modest than I tend to give her credit for,” Mulder was milking the conversation, thoroughly enjoying being able to lavish her with compliments. “I’m the lucky one who got to put that on her…and even luckier to walk her down the aisle.”

           Scully was caught between wanting to stomp on his toe and grasp him by the collar to kiss him as she looked up at him while Nancy copied their identification, smirking back at them as Mulder winked at her and ran a hand down her pinkened cheeks. His timing was impeccable and could’ve diffused even the worst of bombs that lay just within her, weakening her at the knees as she bit down on the corner of her lip, hiding a smile at the very same time. This was an assignment, yes, but she would’ve been in denial if she couldn’t simply admit that she liked being able to lean against him, touch him openly without consequence, and be held by him without worrying about who might see or wonder if they meant something to one another. It was comforting in some respects to know that she could allow some things to slip free that even hinted at the reaches that her soul ached for him—and his for her. It carried a certain level of exhilaration even though they wouldn’t be calling each other by Mulder or Scully until this case came to an end. It was the trade-off for being able to know the could at least have moments out of the darkness to enjoy the every second that they had been given.

           “Okay, Miss Sawyer and Professor Everett, just follow the signs for the sedans along the side of the building. It’s well-lit but there are a couple of spots that are a little hard to see when it’s dark outside.  Here are your IDs back, the copies of the paperwork, and the keys to the car,” Nancy had everything laid out across the counter for them, her voice bouncing with timidity, her hands moving over enthusiastically as she handed Mulder the keys. “If anything should go wrong or you need anything just call the phone number at the top of the paperwork, let them know you dealt with me, Nancy, and they’ll take care of everything.”

           “Thank you, Nancy,” Mulder had already been taking this assignment a little too seriously on the train and was now taking it up a notch as he slipped the keys into his pocket and gathered Scully’s fingers within his palm, winking at the mousy counter agent before walking toward the parking area to collect the car. “So…future Mrs. Everett…shall we go home and order some Chinese food before you have to go back to class tomorrow?”

           “You’re having far too much fun with this role, Professor,” Scully emphasized the use of the title ‘Professor’ as she followed him toward their waiting rental, their luggage in tow as they slid everything into the trunk. “Do you somehow think because what happened last night and this morning that you’re a little more capable of pushing every one of my buttons?”

           “You can’t give me shit for this right now,” Mulder’s arms went around her after he closed the trunk, denying the most evident of urges to cop a feel in the heavily lit parking lot, the sounds of cars, buses, and other trains in the background. “I wasn’t really expecting to have any semblance of freedom to stare at your ass in a pair of jeans just a few hours after seeing all of your clothes scattered across my kitchen table…let me indulge in it for a while.”

           Scully stole a kiss and pulled away with a certain level of reluctance as she put a couple of feet of distance between them, forcing a smile as she moved toward the passenger door. “Let's go before we get a phone call from Skinner wondering why he’s the one always doing all of the work.”

           Mulder knew exactly where Scully’s mind was going as his own was spinning toward that same end as he turned the keys in the ignition and started driving toward that uncertain headspace, to something that hadn’t been explored. The area that surrounded the University of Maryland was far prettier than the DC area but they were both driving into a cataclysm of change, of chaos waiting in the dark. Mulder found the address for the house in the Baltimore Hills area that the FBI managed to take completely off of the market for the duration of their case, adding to the even higher assumption of their cover story being that of a well-off couple moving from So-Cal to Baltimore to start their life together. It was a well-constructed story as long as every neighbor believed the lie.

           “Whoa,” Scully’s eyes nearly popped out of her head as Mulder pulled into the driveway, the picturesque, two-story, never in her wildest fantasies, house was far more than she would’ve imagined in spite of looking at over ten images of the interior and exterior. “I think they might’ve gone overboard on this one.”

           “This looks like one of those houses that you have to take off your shoes to walk into,” Mulder turned off the ignition and just stared at the little, amber porchlight that was beckoning them in. “Not that I’m necessarily complaining.”

           Scully was the first to slide out of the car, her eyes on the uneven stonework on the front of the house, the Tudor style architecture more than a little interesting from the outside as the pale grays, soft sand colors popped out amongst the more brick-like colorings. The yard was well-manicured, with a high reaching, wide tree along the front that kept the porch heavily shaded near the small flower bed that had been stepped up a notch in an attempt to sell the house. The “For Sale” sign at the front had been covered with a “SOLD” magnet along the realtor’s name and information as well as pushed along the top in bold, red lettering. She sighed at the notion that any reasonable homeowner attempting to sell away their home would be willing to turn it over to the FBI without a single hesitation but was glad that they weren’t staying in another one of those single bedroom hovels with only one bathroom—and was considering herself lucky enough to have more than one working toilet this time.

           “You look lost, Scully,” Mulder had their smaller bags under his arm, the keys rattling as he came up beside her, the sound of his voice carrying her out of a little trance as she uncrossed her arms. “You okay?”

           “Wondering if all of this is going to undo everything that happened last night,” Scully’s eyes were fixated on the ‘Welcome’ mat in front of the door along with the soft light emanating from inside the house that only left her confused instead of content. “Or are we about to take a step into something that neither one of us realized we were allowed to feel again?”

           “Scully, all of ‘this’ is an assignment…but what happens inside that house for every moment we aren’t under the careful, watchful eye of our surrogate big brother, none of it has to be,” Mulder swallowed hard, realizing that he had left it open-ended for her as he jingled the keys at her and wandered onto the porch, looking back at her as he got to the door. “Maybe you could snag those two suitcases and join me inside so we can order that Chinese food before our stomachs start eating away at their lining?”

           “That was smooth and not at all subtle, Casanova,” Scully raised both eyebrows as she turned toward the still open trunk, raising her voice just enough so he could still hear her from the doorway. “You really are a jackass.”

           “I have my moments,” Mulder came bounding back down the steps with empty hands as Scully was pulling both of their suitcases out of the bags, immediately taking one from her as she closed the trunk. “You’ve really got to see this place, Scully. Almost makes you want to give Kersh a call to make sure he sent us to the right place.”

           “It can’t be that nice,” Scully was instantly back to the days of standing in each and every military house, hearing the booming voice coming from the living room reminding her that ‘everything had better be shipshape, Dana’ every morning, noon, and night as she attempted to picture anything remotely above her current standard of living. “Is it really that nice?”

           “I haven’t lived in anything this well organized, perfectly coordinated, and thematically designed in a very long time,” Mulder was just behind her as they went up the stairs, the glow from the open front door beckoning them in as Scully let the wheels of the luggage touch the slats of the wood porch.

           Scully knew that the FBI would’ve negotiated that any residence at least have some furniture but she hadn’t even imagined that the entire home would look as ideal as it did on the inside. It was warmly painted; subtle greens with sand and olive accents. It had that natural yet tranquil effect in the room with a warm splash of Caribou color along the exterior hallway that led toward the stairwell. The furniture was carefully matched and arranged to accommodate each little bit of square footage in the most opportune way, leading her eyes toward the most brilliant spot in the house that had an opulently designed fireplace with a porcelain fixture along the mantle. The owners had left every candle, each piece of linen that hung from the expansive ceilings, and even kept the shelves well-organized, removing only the photographs that would’ve easily given away that the home belonged to someone else.

           “This isn’t a cover house, this is a fucking bed and breakfast, Mulder,” Scully hadn’t even realized that Mulder had been busily dragging luggage up the stairs while she gawked at each room, taking in the space like it was truly hers. “Mulder?”

           Mulder’s voice was echoing from the top of the stairs after a loud thud finally captured her full attention in the direction of the banister. “That’s Nolan to you…or Honey…or Babe…or Schnookums.”

           “Schnookums?” Scully furrowed her eyebrows, laughing at the series of pet names as she pushed the front door shut before heading up the stairs, mildly curious over what he was doing. “Is that an official request or did you just think of the last cat you had?”

           “It was better than Pookie when I thought it up in my head,” Mulder grunted from behind the door as Scully came around from the top of the stairs, his face visible through the opening as he had their suitcases opened along the large bed in the middle of the room. “If you were going to sneak up on me taking off your shoes might’ve helped you out on these floors, Scully.”

           Scully pushed the door open all of the way and found him yanking a pair of sweats from the top along with a t-shirt. “I wasn’t trying to sneak…just curious as to what you’re doing?”

           “Chinese food fat pants and late night study material for if the Skinman decides to show up and pretend to be our parental unit, again,” Mulder had a rather discreet notebook in his hands, their cover names scrawled across the top in metallic Sharpie, a smirk creeping across his lips as he swung the sweats across his shoulder. “Did you want to put on something more…comfortable?”

           “Maybe,” Scully had a hold of a pair of pajama bottoms and a camisole tank top before he could even turn to look, her eyes scoping out the door to the bathroom where she disappeared to swap clothes. “Do you really think he’ll try showing up? I know he’s got a supervisory role but doesn’t that risk cover to show up even here?”

           “Well, his track record lately of showing up to interrupt things is a little poor,” Mulder had turned changing clothes into an art form as he managed to strip down and slide into his sweats in under a minute, only stumbling as he yanked his socks off. “Brrr, that floor is cold.”

           “Why didn’t you leave your socks on?” Scully came out of the bathroom carrying her change of clothes in front of her in a little pile, the bra hanging down just a little bit as she tossed them onto the open suitcase. “It isn’t fair to judge what he did last night, Mulder…you know that.”

           “I think I could probably hold it over his head for a while—invent a grudge,” Mulder practically mimicked her motions, tossing his own clothes onto his open suitcase before meeting her gaze like she had been waiting for him.

           They stood there, silently regarding each other in the quiet, soft light lit bedroom and held their breaths as electricity finally seemed to meet in midair like lightning in the middle of a summer storm. It was important and significant in a profound way, one that words wouldn’t have been able to describe if they had been able to speak—and even if they had, the weight of it wouldn’t have been fully felt until eyes locked as they were now. They had broken the surface of something unknown that, under ordinary circumstances would’ve struck fear into their hearts to think of consequences, had awakened something within them. They felt alive for the first time in spite of the vulnerability that it all entailed and in the face of the real repercussions that they were, inevitably facing, as a result. It was thrilling and, at the same time, they were so ready to know that they were safe within that space, where they’d only previously been in dreams.

           The ringing of Mulder’s work phone downstairs broke the trance as they both went running down the stairs to retrieve it with an immediacy knowing that only a handful of people even had access to that line. Mulder frantically dug through the smaller bag still downstairs while Scully meandered behind him with the notebook in her grasp, watching as he feverishly dug for the sound as it grew louder. He pulled it free from a section of toiletries and other miscellaneous items, immediately making a face as the name popped up on the display before answering it.

           “You seem eager to interrupt evenings at every turn, Sir,” Mulder was purely poking fun at him while he mouthed ‘Chinese food’ at Scully.

           Skinner’s voice was less than amused as he barely acknowledged the obvious swipe at the previous night’s interruptions, the graveness growing with every word that left his lips. “I know you both had a little bit of a lengthy journey here but your morning will end up almost as bad as my day has been—”

           “I really was just flicking you a little shit, Skinner,” Mulder knew that the case was bad but something was wrong and he didn’t know exactly how wrong but the tone of his colleague’s voice indicated more than they’d all bargained for. “What happened?”

           “Another woman was abducted from campus tonight while you two were in transit…she’s only been missing for shy of two hours but they’re taking it seriously with all things considered,” Skinner’s voice took a turn as he took a breath in the middle of his sentence, sending a chill up Mulder’s spine as he glanced at Scully.

           “What can we do tonight?” Mulder already knew the answer but he saw the look written on her face and felt her fingers across his palm as she held his hand, reassuring him that she was there.

           Skinner wasn’t the kind of man to leave anything to chance but his words struck Mulder to his core. “Take a moment so you are ready for tomorrow—it’s going to get worse.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little different with regard to the way that Parallel started and ended but I hope you love it – I know it took a while but I have a couple of big projects that are in the works that are taking up my time (along with this one). As always, Monika, you keep me from losing my faith in myself and my writing. You are a gem and I am so grateful.
> 
> Quote by:  
> Tyler Knott Gregson
> 
> Medical information is accurate – chloroform TASTES like ether, sweet, gross. Did a lot of written research, no, I didn’t dose myself, ya freaks.


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